The old way

I live in a different world than most people. I remember in high school the teacher asked us seniors what we wanted to do when we left school. You can imagine many of the answers: college, marriage, riding a motorcycle … Continued

Sap buckets

Linda Downing and I used to do a lot of hiking and snowshoeing up behind my place. Linda had a black lab, Mick. I had Hillary, a beagle-shepherd mix. The dogs got along well, Hillary the dominant. Over the years, … Continued

Some Beers Atlas history

Many readers will be familiar with the 1869 Beers County Atlases. The original atlases are scarce today, and have a greenish tan cover. In the originals, all towns are printed in color. See photo with this article. In 1969, they … Continued

Good luck

The photo with this article is a keyring good luck piece. Many will remember these. They were an inexpensive giveaway for businesses in the 1950s and 60s. Today it’s refrigerator magnets. They are made of aluminum, and made in the … Continued

The old days

I love stories of the old days. In the troubled world I find myself living in, these stories provide an escape. It is always a letdown to read the last page of a book you really enjoyed. Turning each page … Continued

Westward migration

From the Marjorie Boynton Cross estate is another letter. It amazes me how many people from the Bondville-Londonderry area went west in the 1870s and 80s. You are reading a very personal letter. “Eldora, Colorado Aug 4, 1878 “Dear Alice … Continued

Building a sod house

Last week I wrote about a Bank of True Love valentine from Marjorie Boynton Cross. Below are the sod house and Bondville blizzard letters I mentioned.   Sod House “Sargent, Custer County, Neb. May 3, 1885 “You wonder how a … Continued

Bank of True Love

The photo with this article is an early valentine. It’s a tad larger than a current $1 bill. The paper is very thin and flimsy. I know this as “lace paper.” The denomination is 100; other denominations and themes exist. … Continued

Signs of the times

The below is from a June 1927 Carpenter’s Store News. “Carp,” as he was known, was a gifted writer. Carp wrote under several pseudonyms. Carp signed this story, “DIOGENES.” In part, it reads: “Signs of the times “Been a pretty … Continued

Cross writing

What is cross writing? I can only speak from my own experience from handling these early pieces of ephemera. In my 50 years buying and selling early letters and other old documents, I have only seen a handful of cross … Continued

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